Water-hammock.



(Application ilad Sepf. 28, 1901.)

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UNITED SATES PATENT ErrcE.

CHARLES L. PRUDEN, OF NEWT YORK, N.

WATER'I-HMMOCK,

SPECFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 689,020, dated December 1*?, 19011.

Application tiled September 28; 1901. Serial No. 76,845. (No model.)

T0 @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES L. PRUDEN, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of New York, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tater-Hammocks, of which the following is a specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,annexed to and forming part of the same.

This invention relates to water-hammocks which may be used for life-Savin g or for bathing purposes.

In the accompanying drawings,in which the same reference character refers to similar parts in the various views, Figure l is a top view of one form of this invention. Fig. 2 is a side sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a top view of a modified form of this device.

In the form of water-hammock shown in Figs. l and 2 the side pieces A, preferably of wood, are rigidly secured to the transverse members B and B2 to form a rigid frame. The fioats C are formed of papier-mache or of metal suitably protected from the action of the water or, if desired, of rubber, so as to form an air-tight float. The edges of the material of which the float is composed are clamped together by the clamping members A and B', which serve to make the lioats airtight and also to secure them Ito the frame. In this way the fioats remain filled with air, and since they are properly protected by painting them or otherwise they possess great buoyancy and prevent the frame from being submerged. It is understood, ofcourse, that, if desired, the floats may be formed by filling them with cork or any other desired light substance.

The cradle D,which is secured to the frame,

. is formed of the longitudinal strips of textile materiali)2 and the transverse strips D,which are secured together at each point of intersection, so that the whole forms a meshed textile frabric. The meshes of this cradle may be made of any size desired, and, indeed, this cradle may, if desired, be made of the netted fabric formed of twine or similar material.

The cradle is secured to the side pieces A and also to the transverse supporting-pieces B2, so that the cradle in whichever position the hammock may be placed upon the water is al# ways free to assume a position below the frame of the hammock, so that if the frame is turned over the cradle can easily assume the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2. The two strips D3, of textile material or any other desired material, are secured above the floats and assist in holding them in proper position and `also form a ready means of grasping the hammock.

In the use of this device in lifeesaving or in bathing the hammock is thrown upon the water and iioats in the position indicated in Fig. 2. A person or number of persons rest' ing within the cradle are supported by the floats and by the buoyancy of the frame of the hammock; but it will be noticed that since in this position they are largely sub= merged the water-hammock can support a much greater load under these conditions than if the persons upon it were entirely out of the water, so that their whole weight would necessarily be upheld by the buoyancy of the device. The form of the water-ham mock is very convenient, since persons may readily be supported by it as they cling to the frame or to the cradle without being sup"- ported in the cradle.

In the multiple form of water-hammock shown in Fig. 3 the frame is built up of a num-A ber of longitudinal members E, forming, to` gether with the transverse members F, a rigid frame. The iioats G are arranged within the frame, as indicated, and serve in connection with the material of which the frame is made, which is usually some light wood, to give the requisite buoyancy. The cradles H, which this invention'. I do not therefore Wish to be limited to the exact disclosure which I have made in this case; but

What I Wish to secure by Letters Patent is 5 set forth in the appended claim:

In a Water-hammock, a rigid frame eemposed ofside pieces and transverse pieces, ioats secured at either end of the frame by clamping members secured to the side pieces and transverse pieces, said ioats being of air tight cellular structure and a cradle of teX- tile meshed structure secured to said frame between said iioats to assume a position be- 10W said frame- CHARLES L. PRUDEN. Witnesses:

HARRY L. DUNCAN, JEssIE B. KAY. 

